The Citizens have now joined defending champions Orlando Pirates and Stellenbosch in the semi-final.
Cape Town City have advanced to the MTN8 semi-final after a hard-fought 1-0 win over Sekhukhune United in a match played at the Peter Mokaba Stadium on Saturday.
Babina Noko had an interesting starting XI that included former Orlando Pirates midfielder Thabang Monare and another new signing Keletso Makgalwa, hoping they would help in controlling proceedings and winning it early.
However, it was not going to be an easy outing for the hosts since coach Erik Tinkler had an equally competitive squad that included new signings Haashim Domingo, Kamohelo Mokotjo, and Fortune Makaringe.
City settled quickly as opposed to Sekhukhune who were under assistant coach MacDonald Makhubedu since coach Peter Hyballa has not yet received his working permit after being appointed as the main man at the club.
Makaringe was unlucky not to see his effort hit the back of the net after a rebound fell kindly on his way within the first two minutes. After the incident, both teams employed cautious play in their bid to avoid conceding an early goal which would have jeopardized their chances of making it to the next phase.
Gonzalez misses penalty
In the 35th minute, Keletso Makgalwa managed to get into a promising area, but couldn't beat goalkeeper Darren Keet in the Citizen's goal.
It was a costly miss because five minutes later, Sekhukhune conceded a penalty giving the visitors a massive chance to take the lead. Darwin Gonzalez stepped up for the occasion but despite beating the goalkeeper, his effort came off the bar to ensure the teams went to the break even.
The second half was slow as opposed to the first one with teams playing defensively and clearing any potential danger.
Who scored City's winner?
Gonzalez had another chance in the 68th minute to at least hit the target from a promising position, but he failed to keep his effort down much to the delight of the home fans who had been cheering their team from the first whistle.
Their hearts were, however, broken two minutes from the end of regulation time when Sekhukhune's defender handled the ball in the area, leaving the referee with no choice but to point to the penalty spot.
Despite missing the first chance, Gonzalez was ready to make amends; he steadied himself before firing past Badra Ali Sangare to give his team a win and a place in the last four of the annual competition.
City will learn their semi-final opponent on Sunday when a draw will be conducted after the game between Mamelodi Sundowns and Polokwane City.
